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LCCNC 2025 Spring Conference: Minority Mental Health Symposium

Beyond Survival: Advocating for Black Maternal Health

Jasmine Garland McKinney, PhD, LCMHCA, NCC
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Information

Recorded

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Describe the cultural, historical, and social factors that impact Black women’s experiences with maternal mental health and access to care.

  • Implement culturally responsive therapeutic strategies to better support Black mothers during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond.

  • Discuss the importance of advocacy to address systemic barriers, policy gaps, and community-level disparities in Black maternal mental health care

  • Utilize strengths-based, community-centered approaches to empower Black mothers and promote resilience in clinical settings.

  • Identify healthcare providers, policymakers, and community organizations who may work together within an ecosystem to improve mental health outcomes for Black mothers.

Educational Goal

To increase knowledge of the systemic barriers that influence Black maternal mental health care and increase application of culturally-responsive and advocacy-based interventions that improve Black maternal mental health and access to care.

Description

Black maternal mental health is shaped by complex cultural, historical, and systemic factors that often create barriers to care. This presentation will provide background information about these factors and empower therapists to be both effective practitioners and advocates in addressing Black maternal mental health disparities. Participants will explore culturally responsive counseling strategies to support Black mothers during pregnancy and postpartum, discuss the role of advocacy in dismantling systemic barriers, and learn how to implement strengths-based, community-centered approaches that foster resilience. Additionally, we will examine how collaboration with healthcare providers, policymakers, and community organizations can create meaningful change.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Jasmine Garland McKinney, PhD, LCMHCA, NCC
Dr. Jasmine L. Garland McKinney (she/her) earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology from North Carolina State University and a Master of Science (MS) in Counselor Education and graduate certificate in Substance Abuse Counseling from East Carolina University Dr. Garland McKinney earned her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro,where she also completed doctoral minors in Educational Research Methodology and Human Development and Family Studies. Dr. Garland McKinney is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (NC), Professional School Counselor (NC), and Nationally Certified Counselor. Both Dr. Garland McKinney’s clinical and scholarly work center: Black women’s experiences with maternal mental health, intergenerational trauma, and the relationship between Black mothers and daughters. Her work has been supported by organizations including Reproductive Health Impact (formerly the National Birth Equity Collaborative), the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and the National Board for Certified Counselors. Currently, Dr. Garland McKinney is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Community, Equity, Data, and Information Lab in the College of Information at the University of Maryland (College Park), where she continues to elevate Black women’s maternal health and mental health experiences in academic settings. Dr. Garland McKinney is a proud wife and mother of two girls, Blake and Cooper.